Optical fiber connectors are an essential part of substantially all optical fiber communication systems. For instance, such connectors are used to join segments of fiber into longer lengths, to connect fiber to active devices such as radiation sources, detectors and repeaters, and to connect fiber to passive devices such as switches and attenuators. The principal function of optical fiber connectors is to hold an optical fiber such that its core is axially aligned with the optical path of the device to which the connector is mating (herein “mating device”). This way, the light from one fiber is optically coupled to the optical path of the mating device.
A typical connector comprises a jacketed optical cable having a terminating optical fiber end which is secured within a housing comprising a ferrule designed to hold the fiber. The ferrule is biased forward in the housing such that, when the connector is mated to the device, the fiber in the ferrule urges against the optical path of the mating device.
Applicants have recognized there is a on-going need to produce optical fiber connectors at a lower-cost than current connectors found on the market. The highly competitive nature of the connector industry drives connector manufacturers to seek out methods for producing connectors that are not only suitable for a given application, but can be made and sold at a lower, industrially-competitive cost.
One attempt in the art to produce a low-cost connector is the prior art Fiber-Conn SC Multimode connector (100), available from Emerson (Hanover, Md.), an exploded view and an assembled configuration of which is shown in FIG. 7. A closer view of the retainer body of connector 100 is shown in FIG. 8. Connector 100, referred to herein as a “rigid snap-type ” connector, comprises a jacketed cable 101 comprising a terminating optical fiber (not shown) and having molded thereon a rigid plastic retainer body 102 comprising one or more protrusions 103. Connector 100 further comprises an inner housing 104 for holding a ferrule 106 and which defines one or more openings 105 each of which is capable of being deflected to receive a protrusion 103. Upon assembly, the ferrule 106 comprising an optical fiber is secured within housing 104 by “snap fitting” the retainer body 102 to housing 104. That is, retainer body 102 is moved in a forward direction into housing 104 such that the protrusions first deflect the housing walls and are then received in the housing openings 105. A small portion of each protrusion 103 thus interferes with a small area of the wall defining an opening 105 to secure the body 102 to the housing 104 via a snap fit.
While the above connector offers some cost-saving features such as using the over-molded snap-fit retainer body 102 to hold an optical fiber in housing 104, applicants have nevertheless identified a number of disadvantages associated with such prior art connector. In particular, applicants have recognized that the configuration of the connector 100 requires the over-molded retainer body to be formed from a material which is highly rigid and expensive. Only a relatively small surface area of the protrusions 103 of body 102 abut and interfere with housing 104 to hold the body 102 and the housing 104 together. Due to the small surface area of the interfering protrusion, such protrusion must be made of a highly rigid material to prevent shearing, flexing, and/or stretching of the protrusion when axial force is applied in an attempt to separate housing 104 from body 102. In addition, the required flexing of the housing 104 upon assembly and disassembly of connector 100 tends to stress the connector components. To avoid degradation thereof, it is necessary to form such components of a material that is highly resilient. A relatively flexible, and less expensive, over-molding material would not work in the body of the prior art connector, because the protrusions formed therefrom, use only a small surface area to interfere with housing 104. A protrusion with such a small surface area would tend to shear, flex, and/or stretch under standard forces, such as the standard load applied in Standard Test TIA 568 B. In addition, components made from a less resilient material would tend to degrade readily upon repeated deflection due to assembly and disassembly of the connector. Accordingly, the prior art connector 100 cannot be adapted to use less expensive flexible materials, and is therefore disadvantageous.
In addition, applicants have recognized that connector 100 tends to be difficult to disassemble and repair, requiring specific tools and excessive time to break the connector and conduct repairs.
Therefore, applicants have identified a need for an optical connector comprising locking mechanism for securing an optical fiber in the connector housing which uses less costly, including less-rigid, materials not suitable for use in conventional locking/securing means, and which also overcomes the other disadvantages associated with conventional rigid snap-fit connectors.